News Archive

Councillors support local boxing club Highfields Amateur Boxing Club is getting a new ring thanks to a donation from local ward councillors. more

Spread the Word about the Elephant in the Room A special exhibition at The Point, home of darts (Doncaster Community Arts) is celebrating a forgotten Victorian house in the town’s rich heritage. more

Age UK Myfriends Online Week Doncaster West Development Trust is urging older people in the community to try their hand at using the Internet, as part of national charity Age UK’s Myfriends Online Week 2012, through a series of free local events. more

“Good Things” from Avon –Greyfriars! Long established Doncaster drama society, and Little Theatre regulars, Avon Greyfriars return for their spring show, “Good Things” by Liz Lochhead. more

Balby Ward Members Support Local Charity A Balby charity has been helped to stay afloat thanks to a donation from local ward members. more

Get Involved With the work of Parliament A series of free workshops for voluntary groups in Yorkshire and the Humber on how you can engage with Parliament’s work and processes for the benefit of your community. more

Find out more about activities for disabled young people Parents and carers of disabled children are invited to a consultation event to meet organisations that provide local activities for disabled children. more

Launch of the 'Local Account of Adult Social Care Services' Doncaster Council Adult Services has produced its first Local Account - detailing what adult social care has achieved for people who use services, their carers and families; together with the aims of the service in the future. This replaces assessments previously undertaken by the Care Quality Commission. more

Support Group for Disabled People Supported by SYCIL staff, this is a brand new User Led Drop in Support Group run for Disabled People by Disabled People. more

Happiness Through Science Doncaster Little Theatre is delighted to welcome Atheist and Comedian Robin Ince on 20th March as part of Doncaster Hot House Festival. more

Mayor Approves Recommendations on VCS Grants The Mayor and his cabinet has agreed to implement nine new recommendations following a review into grants to voluntary organisations, but has decided against looking into providing longer term grants of up to 3 years given the current financial position. more

Support The Samaritans The Doncaster branch of The Samaritans would like your help in raising funds, by donating old mobile phones or ink cartridges. more

Free Conference Room Holiday Inn Express is offering a free conference room to a local charity, community group or support group. The room will be available to use from April until the end of the year, once a month either during an evening or weekend. more

Volunteers who make a difference to the lives of young people Doncaster Council is honouring nine volunteers who have all spent 10 years helping young people. more

BBC Learning 'Free Speech' opportunity for young people in Doncaster BBC Learning's 'The Lab' works within communities to make short films. They are looking for a group of 10 young people in Doncaster to make 2 short films for the next Free Speech programme, which will go out live on 4th April. more

Lions Bring Back The Doncaster Show The Lions are proud to relaunch the Doncaster Show, which will be held on Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd September 2012 at the Doncaster Deaf Trust Campus on Leger Way. more

Social Enterprise Guide for Local Government Professionals A new guide to the important topic of social enterprise has been published for professionals working in local government. It explains how social enterprises can help meet local authorities’ strategic objectives, and gives practical advice about how to engage, procure and commission from social enterprises. more

Public Services (Social Value) Bill Set to Become Law The Public Services (Social Value) Bill, which aims to strengthen the social enterprise sector, passed its Third reading in the House of Lords this week and is now set to become law. more

Free Training for Disabled People Who Employ Their Own Personal Assistants South Yorkshire Centre for Inclusive Living (SYCIL) has devised a training course which will give disabled people the tools that will enable them to follow the legal requirements of being a confident employer. more

Cancer Team Supports International Women's Day Doncaster’s cancer integrated information service will working with Platform 51 Doncaster Women's Centre to mark International Women's Day. more

Communitybuilders opens £500,000 fund for feasibility grants The Communitybuilders fund is offering feasibility grants totalling £500,000 to community organisations looking to develop services that generate income. more

Doncaster Council Fund for Older People The Fund for Older People provided by Doncaster Council offers grants of up to £500 to assists groups that are providing services and activities for older members of the community or where the majority of the group members are over 55 years. more

Take up the Dragon Boat Challenge The Doncaster Tourism and St George’s Rotary Club Dragon Boat Challenge is back for the third year on Saturday 14th of July at Lakeside Doncaster. This year each team will be helping to raise money for the Alzheimers Society. more

Queen’s Award puts Diamond Jubilee spotlight on national volunteering achievements Nominations opened this week for a special award that will mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by recognising the work of voluntary organisations throughout the United Kingdom. more

Active independence receive funding to work with individual employers Active Independence have received over £4000 from Skills for Care to work with individual disabled people who employ their own personal assistants/carers. The organisation will be running three events across Rotherham and Doncaster over the coming months and producing six news bulletins on workforce related issues. more

Council to decide final budget proposals for 2012/13 Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, this week outlined his final budget proposals for 2012/13 at a Full Council meeting which took place at the Mansion House. more

Arts Council Creative People and Places Funding DMBC has asked darts (Doncaster Community Arts) to lead on a Creative People and Places bid for Doncaster. We would like to invite you to one of two Creative Workshops so that we can share the vision and get your input through active creative involvement! more

More chances for local organisations to promote themselves online for free Following the popularity of the last month's workshop, Doncaster Council is offering local organisations six further opportunities to learn how they can reach new customers with a free online store at a series of workshops across Doncaster. more

Creating the conditions for stronger communities The Government has called on people to come together and play their full part in local communities. A new 'localist' approach to achieving a more integrated society focusing on creating the conditions for everyone to live and work successfully alongside each other was this week unveiled by Secretary of State Eric Pickles and Communities Minister Andrew Stunell. more

Guide to Social Media for Charities Thousands of charities in the UK are aware of social media, but aren’t sure what it can do for them. Even more are engaging with their audiences on social networks, but want to know how to develop and optimise their activities. Registered charity CharityComms has put together a two part Guide to Social Media, to help Charities do just that. more

Secotr Heads Urge Budget Action Fourteen organisations, including the NCVO and Acevo, have written to the Chancellor suggesting action including an extension of the Transition Fund and support for social investment. more

Relax, Stretch and Breathe! Yoga based exercise for pregnant women in Doncaster Town Centre, run by NCT the UK's largest charity for parents. more

Coffee Morning at SYCIL Join South Yorkshire Centre for Inclusive Living at their weekly coffee mornings. Meet new people, have a cuppa and a chat and listen to guest presentations. more

Urgent plea for foster carers Doncaster Council is encouraging people who enjoy spending time with children and teenagers to consider becoming a foster carer. more

The Book Academy Limited New Managing director required to take over the day to day running of The Book Academy, and to continue our work of helping children develop and learn through books and developmentally supportive toys. more

South Yorkshire drama ‘KES’ for Little Theatre’s annual tour. The stage adaptation of the gritty northern drama "Kes" opens at Doncaster Little Theatre on Monday 27th February at 7.30pm. more

Government to open up a multi-million pound market to deliver National Citizen Service The Government is today calling on voluntary, business and public sector organisations to play their part in running National Citizen Service (NCS) schemes in a market that it says could be worth up to £110 million by 2014. more

Refurnish Monthly Prize Draw Doncaster Refurnish are holding a monthly raffle. The February prize is a fantastic washing machine in black or white, with a 5 year guarantee. more

‘Surviving Redundancy’ E-course Whether you have been made redundant/unemployed or you are under the threat of redundancy then this FREE e-course will help you to get your life back on track. more

Community Transport a Winner for Young Athletes Toll Bar Primary School recently made use of the NDDT's Community Transport mini buses to take their students to compete at the North Doncaster Inter School Athletics Tournament. more

Older People's Befriending Service Doncaster Council and Sue Ryder this week launched the new Befriending Service at the Doncaster 50plus Information Day at the Mansion House. more

Doncaster GPs Looking to Support Local Breastfeeding New GP Commissioning Group to look at issue as 7 out of 10 of Doncaster's new mums start breastfeeding but most stop soon after. more

New Advocacy Project for Personalisation Group Active Independence, formally known as Personal Budget Support Group, are pleased to announce that they have received funding from the Office for Disability Issues’ Facilitation Fund to deliver an Advocacy Project. more

Free Training for Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations Growing our Strengths is a project funded by Department of Education and provides practical, tailored support to Voluntary and Community organisations engaged in early intervention activity with children, young people and their families. As part of our on-going programme of work, we are pleased to offer a free training opportunity to Voluntary and Community Sector organisations. more

Doncaster CVS Launches Online Voluntary Sector Directory Doncaster CVS is delighted to announce the launch of our new online Voluntary Sector Directory, featuring over 650 local VCS organisations. more

Free Chair Based Exercise Classes South Yorkshire Centre for Inclusive Living is offering FREE Chair Based Exercise Class for the 50+ who are less mobile but who want to stay active. more

Free Funding Advice Surgeries South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau is offering free funding surgeries for voluntary and community groups in Doncaster. more

End the Care Crisis - National Lobby Day A national lobby day (day of action) is being held on Tuesday 6th March 2012 in Westminster. Alzheimer's Society, as part of the Care and Support Alliance, is encouraging people with dementia, their carers and family members to contact their MP directly to share their experiences of the care system. more

Free health check Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) is offering a free NHS health check to people in Doncaster aged between 40 and 70 years on Thursday 9 February. more

Learning Disability Services Tender Event Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) are inviting providers of adult learning disability services to find out about the upcoming tender for supported living services in Doncaster. more

DCCG Committee Public Meeting Timetable 2012 The Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group has announced a timetable of its meetings for 2012 and is also looking for community venues in which to hold the meetings. more

Adult Rom-Com at Little Theatre Warm up your February evening with a red hot and brand new romantic comedy about love, loss and laminating machines from Doncaster Little Theatre. more

Fit4funding Monthly Funding e-newsletter Are you searching for funding for your projects? Then the Fit4funding e-newsletter is the solution. more

Quick Guide to New Community Rights Locality has produced a quick guide to the Community Right to Bid and the Community Right to Challenge – part of the new Localism Act. more

New Institute of Fundraising website launched The Institute of Fundraising have launched their new website with a host of new features! The website contains freshly developed digital features to advance the Institute's online offering for the fundraising community. more

Council Seeking Volunteers to Help Run Libraries 12 libraries in Doncaster are changing in the way they are run, with members of the community volunteering to sustain and provide the service. Most libraries have 15-20 volunteers available and ready to help, yet the service needs more. If you are interested in giving any amount of your time, please get in touch. more

ESOL and Citizenship Training Have you lived in the UK for up to 10 years? Or are you newly arrived? If so, you may be able to access a variety of training opportunities, events, advice and guidance. more

Children’s Adventure Trim Trail for Sandall Park The Friends of Sandall Park and Doncaster Council are delighted to announce that The Veolia Environmental Trust have awarded a grant of £14,137 to provide a children’s 'adventure trim trail' through the Landfill Communities Fund. more

Best Bar None awards winners announced at ceremony The Best Bar None awards winners were announced at ceremony held this week, which was hosted by Sine FM and included a charity auction in aid of the Aurora Centre. more

Inquiry into Dementia Diagnosis Rates The Alzheimer's Society is asking people to complete a questionnaire to support the All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into how to improve dementia diagnosis rates in the UK. more

Volunteer Horticulture Support Staff (Beanstalk Gardens/Sheffield) Autism Plus is recruiting keen gardeners to volunteer on our exciting new horticulture project based on the outskirts of Sheffield. This project aims to support individuals with learning difficulties from disadvantaged backgrounds in to work placements. more

Martial Arts Academy Gets Sported! Charles Martin Martial Arts Academy, a martial arts club on Beckett Road in Doncaster, has been funded by Sported, the leading UK sport for development charity empowering community groups to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people through sport. more

Sporting Opportunities for Young People with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities Doncaster Rovers Community Foundation and Doncaster College are working in partnership to offer disabled young people and young people with Special Educational Needs the opportunity to take part in Boccia, a fun, target based sport which will feature in the Paralympic Games! Also available are weekly football sessions. more

Coffee morning to mark Dignity Action Day A coffee morning to celebrate Dignity Action Day will be held at St John’s Hospice Information and Support Centre, which will also be supported by the Alzheimer's Society. more

Mutuals get go ahead A new Co-operatives Bill, announced by the Prime Minister on 19th January, will provide new rights for public sector workers to create mutuals and own a stake in their success. more

Greenwood Art Masterclasses Have you a passion to be creative? Have a go at painting, sketching, printing and lots more. more

An Introduction to British Sign Language 101 JMLB Genesis CIC is a member of Signature and offers a BSL101 unit, with or without an exam. Suitable for anyone interested in learning BSL, particularly people who work in healthcare or frontline staff such as police and fire service, retail, hotels, restaurants and leisure centres. more

A New Year - A new fitter you 3, 2, 1 GO! Take your ‘First Steps 2 Fitness’ with North Doncaster Development Trust’s free Community Gym. more

Number of voluntary sector workers falls by almost 9 per cent The number of people employed in the voluntary sector fell by almost 9 per cent from the third quarter of 2010 and the same period in 2011, equating to a loss of 70,000. more

Central government’s implementation of the national Compact The National Audit Office has produced a reporting examining the implementation of the national Compact by central government departments following its renewal in December 2010. more

Funding big ideas, inspiring social action The Social Action Fund is a new grant fund of over £20 million. The fund is currently open for a second wave of applications, but will only remain open until 3rd February. more

Draft public procurement directive published by European Commission The European Commission has published draft rules on public procurement that are expected to make it easier for charities to win public sector contracts, reports Third Sector. more

A Night Under the Stars Under the Stars is a learning disability friendly nightclub run by people with a learning disability and their friends. more

Doncaster Adult Social Care Workforce Forum Doncaster Council would like to invite anyone within the Doncaster area who provides social care/support to adults whether paid or unpaid to the above event. The next forum will take place on 25th January 2012, from 13:45hr – 16:30hr at the Carr House Centre, Danum Road, Doncaster. DN4 5HF. more

A new Business Development Manager for NDDT North Doncaster Development Trust (NDDT) has appointed a new Business Development Manager, Rebecca Hughes, to join their development team. more

Get Doncaster Walking Festival 2012 160 residents turned out to enjoy the first walk of the 2012 Get Doncaster Walking Festival and take the first steps towards a healthy year. A number of walks will also take place in February and March to support local cancer charity Aurora and local voluntary youth organisations. more

Crumbs from the Table Kate Plant, Director for Faith and Justice, Sheffield Diocese, will be addressing this inter-church event to lead our thinking for understanding and action on a community relations theme. Proceeds go to Doncaster Racial Equality Council. more

'Our Group – Our Time' 2 Year Anniversary!! Doncaster Alcohol Services run a Support Group called ‘Our Group-Our Time’ for people who are affected by someone, be it friend or family member, who is having problems with their alcohol use. The group will soon be celebrating its 2 year anniversary. more

Rent-free space for social organisations The property charity 3Space have a large 10,000 ft2 unit in the Centurion Retail Park for charities, community groups and non-profits to use for free. more

Short Break Panel Member – Representing Voluntary Sector The Aiming High team within Doncaster Council operate a weekly commissioning panel for Short Break placements for disabled children and young people. We currently have a space on the panel for a panel member from the Voluntary sector. more

Get Doncaster Walking 2012 Doncaster Council's 'Get Doncaster Walking' festival is returning for 2012 and this year it is bigger than ever running for the whole calendar year! more

Peer Mentoring Drop-In Supported by SYCIL staff, this is a brand new User Led group looking at issues and sharing experiences relating to Personal Budgets. Next session - 18th January 2012. more

Sensory garden gets thumbs-up from National Charity A new sensory garden for older people with mental health problems in Doncaster has drawn praise from a UK charity, which shapes NHS policy and practice. more

Be Our Guest and Promote Your Organisation on Sine FM 102.6 Doncaster CVS hosts a regular radio show, Business Beat on Sine FM 102.6. If you would like to be a guest on the show and tell listeners about your enterprises or organisations, please get in touch. more

Does your organisation need to increase and diversify its income streams? This question will probably prompt a reply of YES by every organisation in the voluntary and community sector in Doncaster. The good news is that the Social Enterprise Development Team at CVS can help and at no cost to your organisation. more

Unwanted Christmas Presents Appeal At the Alzheimer's Society we are always on the look out for unwanted gifts that we can raffle at local events to raise vital funds for our cause. Many of us receive Christmas gifts that are, for whatever reason, surplus to requirements. Why not donate them to a good cause? more

Time to Change Grants Time to Change is England's biggest ever attempt to end the stigma and discrimination that faces people with mental health problems. The Time to Change grants fund will distribute £2.7 million to approximately 75 projects across England from April 2012 to March 2015. more

Local organisations to be shown how to promote themselves online for free Doncaster Council is offering local organisations an opportunity to learn how they can reach new customers with a free online store at a workshop on Tuesday 10 January between 9am and 12.30pm at the Carr House Centre. more

Coalfields Regeneration Trust Grants Grants of £500 to £5,000 are available for new or established groups for revenue or capital costs. more

Gentle Comedy to start 2012 Season at the Little Theatre After the fantastic success of our panto Aladdin, our January show is “Entertaining Angels”, by Richard Everett. This new light-hearted comedy, starred Penelope Keith at the Theatre Royal Bath, and is guaranteed to leave you smiling. more

Mayor outlines draft budget proposals for 2012/13 Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, has outlined his draft budget proposals for 2012/13 to members of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC). more

Disabled children celebrate achievements Four young people with disabilities have achieved their Level 1 Music Media NCFE qualification thanks to activities that were arranged by the council’s Aiming High for Disabled Children programme and run by Higher Rhythm. more

Dearne Valley College Seeks Delivery Partners Dearne Valley College are currently successful contract holders for ESF Contracts in Barnsley, Rotherham & Doncaster. We are now looking for high quality new and existing partners with experience in delivering to either unemployed people, those facing redundancy, or employees within the workplace. DEADLINE 16TH DECEMBER. more

Avalunch Community Café and Meal Delivery Service Avalunch Community Services hosts a community café at Mexborough Baptist Church, Hollingsworth Close each Wednesday from 12.00 – 1.30 and a meal delivery service for elderly, infirm or disabled residents in Mexborough every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. more

Environmental campaign gets rhythm Sine FM and Higher Rhythm Recording Studio have pledged their support for Doncaster Council and Keep Britain Tidy’s Love Where You Live campaign. more

Princess Alexandra Donates Prize for Local Raffle This is your chance to win a handbag belonging to Princess Alexandra. The Princess made the generous donation to the Alzheimer's Society after meeting local volunteer Eileen Harrington. more

Caring for our Future feedback sent to Government Doncaster Council has submitted the feedback of local residents and voluntary organisations who had their say on the future of care in the UK as part of the Government's 'Caring for our Future' national consultation. more

Saving lives at Christmas Christmas is a happy time for celebration with children, friends and family. But for dozens of people in South Yorkshire every year, this happy time is spoilt by an accidental fire in the home. Follow these tips from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue to help keep you safe. more

Festive refuse collections Doncaster Council is reminding local people about changes to collections during the festive period. more

Third sector warned over budget cuts A leading South Yorkshire turnaround specialist is calling on not-for-profit organisations to seek early advice if funding gaps cause financial problems. more

Get Online with Free Computer Courses North Doncaster Development Trust is now a recognised UK Online Centre providing FREE Basic Computer Courses on how to: Use a computer, Job hunt online, Shop online, Use facebook and other social websites, Upload images with your digital camera. more

Last Chance to Have Your Say on NHS Consultation The NHS public consultation called “Moving with the Times” on the proposals to change some services currently provided at Montagu and Tickhill Road hospitals and provide more care closer to home, closes on the 19th December. more

Bonanza of Bargain Bags! Charity Fund Raiser Grab yourself a Christmas bargain. The Alzheimer’s Society Doncaster and Rotherham are holding a Handbag Sale on Saturday 10th December 2011 at Doncaster Market, with many new, designer created handbags at bargain prices. more

Backing for mutuals to enhance public services New support to help staff-led mutual organisations set up and spin out from the public sector has been unveiled by Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office. more

In-genie-ous Family Pantomime! Tickets are selling fast for Aladdin, Doncaster Little Theatre's festive treat, with almost two-thirds of the tickets for the show already sold. Book now to avoid disappointment! more

Christmas Concert Doncaster 50+plus is sponsoring a FREE Christmas Concert as part of their Inter-Generation goodwill project. Come along and join them in the Mansion House Ballroom to celebrate the start of the festive season. more

Closure of Business Link Yorkshire and Future Arrangements The Business Link Yorkshire service is now closed. more

Surplus Equipment: Pool table, TV/DVD player and PS2 Free to a voluntary organisation/group although a small contribution would be appreciated if possible to help our running costs more

Voluntary Sector Health & Social Care Forum update Dr Eric Kelly, Chair of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in Doncaster met with the voluntary sector Health & Social Forum recently to discuss ways in which the CCG and the voluntary sector could work together in the future. more

NDDT’s Free Community Gym is Back in Woodlands! North Doncaster Development Trust has re-launched their free community gym, 'First Steps 2 Fitness', at the All Saint's Community Centre in Woodlands. more

Autism Plus agrees partnership with both South Yorkshire Rugby League teams In a first for Rugby League, South Yorkshire neighbours Sheffield Eagles Rugby League Club and Doncaster Rugby League club (the Dons), have both announced they are supporting South Yorkshire charity Autism Plus for the forthcoming season. more

Introduction to Basic Computing Skills Introduction to basic Computer Skills, including Word processing, Spreadsheets, Use of a Digital Camera, Music and storage more

Contract Opportunity: LINk Host Doncaster Borough Council – Adults and Communities is seeking to appoint an organisation or organisations, with demonstrable experience and skills in community development, local networking, facilitation and working with individuals from all sectors of the community and a wide range of provider groups to become the ‘Host’ of the LINk in Doncaster on a short term contract to provide this service until 1 October 2012. more

Footsey 2012 Cancelled The FOOTSEY partners have decided with regret not to run FOOTSEY 2012 because of the uncertain climate faced by the social economy sector and sponsors. more

The teams are announced for the DCVS AGM quiz. We've thrown down the gauntlet to some of the keenest minds in the Voluntary and Community Sector in Doncaster... more

Free Bicycle Hire at RSPB Old Moor! Explore the Dearne Valley for free. At RSPB Old Moor we have 15 bicycles available for hire for local community groups. The Trans Pennine Trail runs right past the door so there are miles of traffic-free trails to discover. All free! more

State of the Sector 2011 survey is launched Poll will ask sector staff about the big issues for charities and voluntary organisations. more

Shifting Perspectives On display in the gallery at The Point until 27 January is Shifting Perspectives, a photography exhibition which aims to challenge and change perspectives of people with Down Syndrome. The images are of everyday interactions: people playing football or getting ready for a night out. This internationally celebrated photography exhibition has travelled the world. It comes to Doncaster from Ohio, USA and at the end of January will head to South Africa. more

Reminder to have your say on referendum There are only three weeks left to have your say on whether residents are in favour of the Council holding a referendum over which leadership model should be used in Doncaster. more

101 – A new non-emergency number for South Yorkshire Police On Friday 4 November, South Yorkshire Police’s non-emergency number changed to 101, replacing the existing 0114 2202020 number which will be gradually phased out. more

Money Skills for Life Doncaster West Development Trust are delivering one day courses covering topics including budgeting, the cost of borrowing on credit, how to prioritise payments and spend money wisely. If your organisation works with clients in Doncaster and you feel that this course would be useful to them, please get in touch to discuss the possibility of hosting a course. more

Dementia Community Roadshow Questions about dementia? We’re here to help! The Alzheimer’s Society Community Roadshow will be visiting the Tesco superstore at Woodfield Plantation on the 29th and 30th November 2011. more

£16.8 million support for free advice services A new £16.8 million central government fund to help not-for-profit free advice services in England will be delivered by the Big Fund, Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society has announced. The new Advice Services Fund will open for applications by the end of November. more

Fire Service Proposals to Balance Budget South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) is proposing changes to its frontline services, in a bid to absorb huge Government funding cuts of up to £10 million per year by 2015. The only change to frontline cover proposed for the Doncaster district is the removal of the retained crew at Edlington station. A public meeting is being held so that residents can voice any concerns about the proposals. more

2012 Doncaster Calendar On Sale A new 2012 Doncaster calendar produced by local photographer Brian McReynolds is now on sale. Charities are able to buy copies at wholesale prices for resale. more

New Doncaster Consortium for the local voluntary sector The voluntary and community sector in Doncaster is establishing a consortium to bid for competitive tenders. more

Localism Bill Becomes Law The government claims the new Localism Act will trigger the biggest transfer of power in a generation, releasing councils and communities from the grip of central government. more

Plain English Guide to the Localism Act The government has published a plain English guide to the Localism Act. more

Carers Coffee Mornings Doncaster Partnership for Carers hold a variety of regular coffee mornings for local carers. more

Digital Inclusion for All Would you like to become a UK Online Centre? If so, Doncaster West Development Trust (DWDT) can help. more

Good Governance Guide for Smaller Organisations Smaller charitable organisations will welcome the publication of a new governance code. 'Good Governance - A code for the voluntary and community sector: smaller organisation version' provides a framework for smaller organisations to govern in a way that is appropriate to their size. more

Extra chance to have your say on the future of care Doncaster Council has organised a further opportunity for residents to give their views, as part of a national consultation which will shape Government plans and priorities for the future of Adult Social Care. more

Personalisation Forum Group to Help Shape the Future The Personalisation Forum Group has been identified as a Demonstrator Pilot Case Study Site to help shape the future of User Led Organisations (ULOs). more

Review of Charity Law Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, has announced that Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts will lead a full review of the law relating to charities in England and Wales. Lord Hodgson will report to Parliament by summer 2012. more

Doncaster Little Film Festival Doncaster's very own 'Little Film Festival' is underway right now. Brought to you by Doncaster Little Theatre, the festival is running until Saturday 5th November. more

New Blog for Local Charity Local environmental charity, the Don Gorge Community Group now has a Blog. The new blog will report items of interest and reported 'sightings' of rare and interesting wild life in the Gorge. more

Policing Priorities Survey South Yorkshire Police Authority has launched its consultation on policing priorities for 2012/13. more

Christmas Sales Opportunity St Catherine’s Walled Garden is opening on Sundays over the coming weeks for the sale of its Christmas produce and other festive attractions. There is also an opportunity for community groups to join in and sell their products. more

Have your say on the future of care Doncaster Council is asking for your views as part of a national consultation which will shape Government plans and priorities for the future of Adult Social Care. more

Council’s appeal for snow wardens Doncaster Council is looking for volunteer snow wardens to help communities during any harsh weather conditions this winter. more

NDDT Appoint New Chief Executive Michael Haughton has been appointed as New Chief Executive at North Doncaster Development Trust. more

VCS Views Sought on Inequalities and the Big Society Voice4Change England and the Women’s Resource Centre have been commissioned by the Office for Civil Society to provide advice to Government on the Big Society and associated inequalities issues. They are seeking your input into the process. more

New Employer Liaison Officer for DWDT An employer liaison officer has joined the Steps to Success team at Doncaster West Development Trust and is keen to forge links with local businesses. more

Charities – are you being seen and heard? Yorkshire law firm hlw Keeble Hawson Solicitors are presenting their third in a series of FREE seminars, which look at the issues affecting charities, voluntary groups and not for profit organisations today and in the future. more

Cabinet Manual Published The Cabinet Manual, the ultimate user’s guide to government, setting out how central Government works, was published this week. more

Doncaster CVS Payroll Services - Special November Promotion All your payroll services under one roof – sign up with us in November (to start anytime in the next 6 months) and get your first weekly or monthly payroll completely FREE! more

Social action for health and well-being: building co-operative communities The Department of Health has published its strategic vision for volunteering, which sets out to enhance the profile of volunteering; highlight its potential in terms of health, well-being and addressing health inequalities; and promote good practice across the health and social care system. more

Christmas and Halloween at the Little Theatre The lamp is being polished, the Dame is practising her make up, as the cast and crew of Doncaster Little Theatre prepare a magical pantomime for the people of Doncaster. Also, don't miss an evening of spooky films this Halloween! more

New Chief Executive for Doncaster Council Doncaster Council has announced that Jo Miller will be its new Chief Executive. The appointment, subject to endorsement at Full Council in the coming weeks, was agreed by the Secretary of State for Communities Eric Pickles. more

Council Committee Considers Voluntary Sector Grants Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) at Doncaster Council will next week hear the findings of a working group tasked with undertaking an in-depth review into Grants paid to Voluntary Organisations by the Council. more

Yorkshire Main Commemorative Trust Progresses Back in January, we announced that Yorkshire Main Commemorative Trust was the winning project in the Mansell 'Making a Difference in a Weekend' challenge. Find out how the project is developing. more

New meeting room for Community & Voluntary Groups The new Cantley Pavilion is now open in Cantley Park with a meeting room and separate kitchen available for community and voluntary use at reasonable rates. more

The Campaign To Free Babar Ahmad Local community organisation Deen Doncaster is campaigning on behalf of Babar Ahmad, a 37 year old British Muslim who has been detained for the past 7 years without charge or trial. more

Social Value Bill Makes Progress A private member’s bill that would require all public sector contracts to carry a 'social clause' has passed the committee stage in the House of Commons with amendments from Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society. more

Brush up on your internet skills Give an Hour week is part of the UK Online initiative to demonstrate the benefits to all ages of using the internet. This year, Doncaster West Development Trust is holding events to encourage more people to recognise the benefits of using a computer. more

Vote for Autism Plus in the Nat West Community Force Appeal Beanstalk gardens is a project run by Autism Plus to support people with disabilities to gain work skills in a horticulture environment. They need your vote to win £6000 to help the project. more

Exhibit to up to 8000 people Are you interested in exhibiting at the fantastic 'Spooktacular Halloween Thriller' Event taking place at Doncaster Racecourse on 29th October 2011? more

'Teechers' by John Godber Half Term means back to school at Doncaster Little Theatre, with the hilarious “Teechers” opening on Monday 17th October. A big learning curve for Director Steph Smith, a Little Theatre regular, who is directing for the first time. more

Local Charities and Groups to Benefit From New Health Lottery The People’s Health Trust, the independent charity responsible for deciding how the good causes money raised by the new Health Lottery is spent, has launched its first grant schemes. more

Cabinet Office Minister Wants Better Commissioning at National and Local Level Third Sector reports that the Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has told the Public Administration Select Committee that commissioning must improve to avoid an 'oligopoly' of big private sector service providers. more

Minister Writes to Voluntrary Sector Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, has published an open letter to the voluntary sector outlining the government strategy and policy initiatives which affect the voluntary sector. more

Civic Mayor’s Charity Concert This week, local band Talkin Strangers will be holding a concert at the Balby Recreation Club to raise funds for the Civic Mayor’s Charity Fund. more

Logo Competition Doncaster Carer's Strategy Group is inviting carers of all ages to enter a competition to design their new logo. more

Meet our Princess For Local Book Signing Violet Cannon, Doncaster CVS' very own Gypsy & Traveller Voice Worker will be signing copies of her highly successful book 'Gypsy Princess' at Waterstones tomorrow (Saturday 15 October) from 11am to 12 noon. The book reached number 4 in the Sunday Times Bestseller List and is now in its second print run. more

£20 million Social Action Fund opens The Social Action Fund which is designed to support the creation of new social action opportunities has opened for applications. more

Community First Fund Opens The £80 million Community First fund, which will provide small grants to community groups and local social action projects, was opened today by Nick Hurd Minister for Civil Society. more

International visit to share knowledge Five students from Tunisia recently visited Doncaster CVS Social Enterprise Team to find out more about Social enterprises in the UK. more

darts' 21st Birthday Exhibition - and a Special Offer October 2011 marks darts, Doncaster Community Arts 21st Birthday. To celebrate, we have created a colourful and inter-active exhibition which presents of our 21 projects, along with a very special free meeting/workspace offer. more

Doncaster CVS Social Welfare Team Doncaster CVS would like to offer the services of our specialist welfare advisor who is able to offer legal advice and assistance in respect of any benefit issue such as, Disability Living Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance Appeals, Social Fund Appeals, Housing Benefit Appeals and JSA Sanctions. more

Work Programme Launch On Friday 21st October 2011, NDDT will be holding an open day at Fraser House, our new town centre location, to launch our Work Programme services, between 12:30pm – 2pm. There is still time to book a place. more

Grants of £500 to £5000 for former Coalfield Areas Grants are available of £500 to £5,000 for projects that help people back into work, improve their skills, improve their health, promote volunteering in a positive way and develop grass roots community activity. more

Village SOS! Doncaster date announced in national events series to help rural communities transform their villages Rural communities across Yorkshire are being urged to attend a free event in Doncaster that will see business experts and rural specialists descend on the city to help struggling communities revive their villages. more

Review of Anti Social Behaviour The Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) will be reviewing how the Safer Doncaster Partnership seeks to tackle anti social behaviour in Doncaster. The meeting will be held at the Mansion House on Thursday 13th October commencing at 10.00am. more

Council to consider alternative solutions for 14 libraries Doncaster Council’s Cabinet meets next week to discuss the results of consultation and to consider alternative ways of delivering services for 14 of the Borough’s 26 libraries. They include community-led provision in 8 local neighbourhoods. more

Doncaster Reader’s Project Launch The Doncaster Book Awards Company Ltd is launching this year’s literacy project at Doncaster Civic Theatre starting a year of exciting events aimed at both Primary and Secondary students who are involved in shadowing the project. more

Does your organisation make a difference to people’s mental health? NHS Doncaster is working with Doncaster CVS and third sector organisations on a pilot to improve the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The JSNA identifies current and future health needs, and now has an enhanced role in informing local commissioning. The pilot will focus on the theme of mental health. more

Nether Hall Writers Club The first rule of write club is... Tim Lee, a local writer and volunteer, is in the process of establishing a writers’ club in Doncaster with the aim of creating a thriving literature scene in Doncaster. more

ESOL and Citizenship Training Have you lived in the UK for up to 10 years? Are you newly arrived? Do you work with people in these circumstances? If so, you/they can access a variety of support including ESOL and Citizenship training. more

DMBC celebrates Older People’s day with week of information events To coincide with National Older People’s Day (Saturday 1st October) Doncaster Council’s Adult Services will be setting up information stands at Day Centres across the borough next week to give older residents information about a range of services including a new borough wide befriending scheme. more

New Tinnitus Self Help Support Groups The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) want assistance in setting up local Tinnitus Self Help Support Groups. more

Ex gallery equipment for sale Easels, plinths, jewellery cabinets, plastic foldable chairs, dining chairs, picture hanging system sketch books for sale. more

Consultation on Hospital Services A public consultation on proposals to change some services currently provided at Montagu and Tickhill Road hospitals and provide more care closer to home is running from 19th September 2011 to Monday 19 December 2011. more

Parents Understanding the Problems of Addiction (PUPA) Do you care for, or live with someone who uses drugs? Do you ever take time out for yourself? Would you like to talk to others in a similar situation? Don’t know what to do next? Come along to the P.U.P.A support group and meet people who can offer emotional and practical support. more

Street Pastors is coming to Doncaster! Street Pastors has enjoyed great success in many other areas of the UK, significantly reducing weekend street conflict and reported crime figures. Now the initiative is coming to Doncaster. more

Will Aid – make a will, make a difference During the month of November 2011, will writing experts from Doncaster solicitors Taylor Bracewell will give their time free of charge in return for a donation to the Will Aid charity which supports the 9 charities: Action Aid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF, Sightsavers and Trocaire. more

DEMRP: NEET Ideas & Solutions Are you 16-18 year old, Not in Education and/or Training, Unemployed? If yes, you are eligible for free support to go on training, gain work experience or get a job. more

VCS Research Project Doncaster CVS, supported by South Yorkshire Community Foundation, recently carried out some research into the local Voluntary and Community Sector. The Executive Summary is now available to download. more

Making the most of an unsuccessful grant application New guidelines on how charities can learn and benefit from unsuccessful grant applications and how grant makers can help unsuccessful applicants has been published by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Cass Business School. more

Multi-Agency consultation for people with Autism/Aspergers Doncaster Council are holding 2 events for people with Autism/Aspergers. The Council is considering developing a '1 stop shop' for people to get information and guidance about what is available for them in Doncaster. more

New, free online legal advice service for charities launched by LawWorks LawWorks, the national charity set up to assist individuals and communities access free legal assistance when they are unable to access or afford a solicitor, has launched a new online system that provides free answers to brief legal queries submitted by not-for-profit organisations. more

Communities in the driving seat: a study of Participatory Budgeting The Department for Communities & Local Government has published a report on the costs of participatory budgeting processes; what works in the operation of participatory processes and the results/outcomes achieved by the process. more

Affordable office space available for rent Downsizing? Rotherham Advice and Information Network (RAIN) have affordable office space available for rent. more

Government's Payment by Results plans are dependent on better data The NHS needs to improve the quality of its data if the government is to expand its payment by results (PbR) system, the Audit Commission has said. Extending the PbR tariff system is a key government policy. Under their plans, community and health services will be subject to a PbR tariff. more

Micro-Enterprises Toolkit Doncaster Council, through the Yorkshire and Humber Joint Improvement Partnership (JIP) programme, has commissioned a new toolkit to support people who are interested is setting up a new micro-enterprise. more

Contract Opportunity: Creative Customer Focus Group project Invitation to provide a quotation to: Develop and deliver a series of creative focus groups for an identified set of specific client groups, aimed at gathering their experiences of using services provided by Doncaster MBC Housing Services. more

Footsey - The Social Economy Trade Fair Footsey the UK’s largest social economy trade fair, networking and learning event returns to Doncaster in Spring 2012. Book now for early bird offers. more

Doncaster Safeguarding Adults Survey The Doncaster Safeguarding Engagement Group want to find out how people access information about safeguarding issues. more

Gypsy Eviction: The Fight for Dale Farm Doncaster CVS' own Violet Cannon will be appearing on This Morning and Dispatches next week to discuss the Dale Farm eviction. more

Display Stand for Sale Doncaster LIFE have a used 4 panel display stand available for sale. more

Special Offer from Identities CIC!!! When you buy a 2012 Calendar and DVD, you will get them both at a special offer price of only £12. more

Free Training Opportunities from Doncaster Council: Adults & Communities Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Adult Services would like offer the opportunity to all appropriate workers within the voluntary sector across the Doncaster area, who provide care/support to Adults, to take advantage of their training programme. more

What's On Are you or your group running any events between 7 November and 9 January that you would like promoted throughout Doncaster for FREE? more

Be Inspired.... with Nicky Pattinson A former Huddersfield market trader who rose to become an renowned motivational speaker and sales expert will tell her inspiring story at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster. more

ESF Community Grants ESF Community Grants supports small community groups and social enterprises with grants of up to £10k to deliver learning activities targeted at hard-to-reach, workless adults. more

Cavy Corner Guinea Pig PIGNIC A family afternoon of fun and furry friends for guinea pig lovers of all ages. Move over Teddy Bears.... the guineas are here! more

Lush Furniture Available for Charitable organisations Lush, based in the Frenchgate Centre, have a range of hand crafted shop display units available for any charitable cause please come and take a look at what we have. more

September Working Walk Join Doncaster Lakeside Wildlife Action Group this weekend for an enjoyable working walk around Doncaster Lakeside. more

Mobility & Adapted Vehicles Exhibition South Yorkshire Centre for Inclusive Living (SYCIL) is holding a FREE Mobility and Adapted Vehicles Exhibition on Wednesday 28th September. more

SYCIL Training Programme The Choosing Independence Project at SYCIL are proud to launch their Autumn/Winter 2011 Training Programme. more

A fair deal for the voluntary and community sector - from Whitehall to town halls Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has today published guidance to local authorities on how to protect voluntary and community groups from disproportionate cuts to their funding. more

2011/12 Season Launch and Enrolment Night Doncaster Little Theatre is opening its doors to new members on Monday 5th September, and launching its fabulous autumn/winter programme. more

'Gypsy Princess' Published 'Gypsy Princess' the new book about authored by Violet Cannon, Gypsy & Traveller Voice Officer at Doncaster CVS, is out now! more

World Record for Sine FM! Congratulations to SINE FM’s Mark Kelly and Simon Saynor who this week broke the Guinness World Record for the longest single radio broadcast by 20 hours! more

Digital Switchover Advice Points Individuals who may need some help with the Digital Switchover will be able to access support at an Advice Point run by Doncaster CVS on the 7th, 8th, 21st and 22nd September. more

Information and Advice Drop-in Session Doncaster CVS are holding 2 drop-in sessions where our staff will be available to advise about a range of areas including Social Enterprise, starting up and running a business, volunteering and running community based activities. Drop in and see us. more

Big Lottery Fund Consultation The Government has opened a 12-week consultation on proposed new policy directions for the Big Lottery Fund. more

Helping to meet a growing demand A new, simple 'how to' guide for communities wanting to start up, share or save their own community orchards that could help reverse the national decline in traditional orchards has been published by the government. more

Funding for Community Green Spaces The government has published a document setting out the potential funding available to community and voluntary organisations for community green space initiatives. more

‘Our Group – Our Time’ Family Support Group Is someone in your family drinking too much? Then why not come along to ‘Our Group- Our Time’, where you can meet other people to share your experiences. more

Doncaster CVS awarded Customer First Good news - Doncaster CVS was very pleased to be awarded Customer First accreditation this month. If you would like to know more about how to attain Customer First, or any other quality standard, why not get in touch. more

Pride in Doncaster Awards Nominations are now open for the Pride in Doncaster Awards scheme, which recognises outstanding residents that have done something special. The winners will be recognised at an awards ceremony at the Keepmoat Stadium on 27th October. more

Launch of Id Magazine - Identities new health, wellbeing and life progression publication Identities is to launch its new bi-monthly publication this week to help improve the financial, physical and emotion health of readers. Id Magazine stays true to the vision of Identities, to provide an affordable resource of varied support and not a one size fits all package. more

Research indicates 88% of local areas support the Compact Compact Voice has published the results of a comprehensive survey into the state of local Compacts. more

Cancer Charity Benefits from Civic Mayor Fundraising Councillor Pat Knight, Ward Member for Hatfield and her husband Ken Knight this week presented a cheque for £3,000 to the Civic Mayor’s charity the Aurora Centre. more

Missing People comes to South Yorkshire Missing People offers a lifeline for the 250,000 people who run away and go missing each year. For those left behind we provide specialised support to ease the heartache and confusion, and help search for their missing loved ones. We are caring, highly skilled staff and volunteers working around the clock alongside our partners across the UK. more

Free ESOL Courses Local FREE English courses for Refugees (proof of status essential). more

Forum for Local Micro-Enterprises As part of the Joint Improvement Partnership (JIP) project, Doncaster Council is piloting a support network for small scale local providers of social care services and associated support services such as gardening. This includes private businesses, social enterprises and voluntary and community organisations, as well as those people with an idea for a future social care business. more

In My Shoes Rationale productions is a Hip Hop Theatre Company and they are due to present "In My Shoes" at The Crucible in Sheffield in a couple of months. They are coming to Doncaster Little Theatre first and tickets are FREE. more

Sine FM Aim to Break World Record for Charity Starting Monday 29th of August 2011 Sine FM's Mark from the Homerun Show and Simon from the Breakfast Show, will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest single radio broadcast by presenting a 72 hour show! more

New Book by Our Princess… Doncaster CVS is proud to announce that our very own Violet Cannon, Gypsy & Traveller Voice Officer is the author of new book ‘Gypsy Princess’, soon to be released on 1 September. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now! more

Village SOS Active Villages across Yorkshire and The Humber are set to benefit from a new campaign to help communities buck the trend of rural decline by starting up new community enterprises. more

BME Carers Konnect Club Carers from the BME community come along and experience a range of activities as well as meeting other carers. more

Kate's Volunteer Venture Mexborough resident Kate Burns currently works for two local Charities - Doncaster Advocacy, a learning disability charity in Doncaster and Activate!, a youth charity in Rotherham. Now she is fundraising in order to volunteer for two more worthwhile causes, supporting people with disabilities and young people in India. more

ECO Secures NLDC Funding Edlington Community Organisation have received funding through NLDC to put on a Boxercise classes in Edlington every Friday 5:00pm-6:00pm. more

Conference Training Bursaries for Small Charities New bursary scheme from the Insititute of Fundraising offers discounted places at forthcoming one-day conferences. more

Friends of Sandall Park receive honor at Mansion House Friends of Sandall Park have been presented with The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for Outstanding Voluntary Service in the Community by the Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire at an event hosted by The Civic Mayor of Doncaster, Councillor Eva Hughes, at the Mansion House last week. more

Digital Switchover Grants Raise awareness of the Digital Switchover and obtain a grant for your group or organisation by holding a presentation event. It may only involve including a session on digital switchover in your regular event – e.g. lunch club, meeting or coffee morning, where you incur additional costs e.g. refreshments, room or equipment hire. more

Free IT Equipment now available for groups DMBC have 32 pc's and laptops plus flat screen monitors and keyboards that are free to any groups based within the NDC area , Nether Hall, Hexthorpe,Balby Bridge, Town Centre, Hyde Park and Balby Woodfield. more

Need Some Office Space? The Doncaster CVS Customer Service Team would like to introduce to you our new Hot Desk Facility. more

Do you know someone who is looking after somebody else’s child? If someone is looking after someone else’s child for more than 28 days the council needs to know. It can also offer help and support, including making sure everyone involved is receiving all the benefits they are entitled to. more

2010 National Survey of Charities and Social Enterprises The results of the 2010 National Survey of Charities and Social Enterprises (NSCSE) provide a tool for citizens, communities, the sector and all levels of government to understand the environment within the sector and how this has changed since the 2008 publication. more

Social Enterprise Coalition Publications The Social Enterprise Coalition has produced a range of useful reports and guides including: Fightback Britain, Right to Run, Enjoy what you do: Work in social enterprise, Working with the Public Sector: Busting the Myths. more

Third Sector Research Centre identifies 'civic core' of well-off volunteers Mapping the Big Society says 31 per cent of population provides 87 per cent of voluntary hours and 79 per cent of charitable giving. more

Doncaster 50 Plus Welfare Services Group A new group has been formed as a result of the workshop at the AGM. We are inviting others to comment at our next meeting. more

Employment and Training Links (ETL) Apprenticeships Opportunity. ETL is a social enterprise training company working with third and private sector organisations to build the skills of their employees to increase the success of the enterprise or charity. Employees working over 20 hours a week can undertake a qualification that suits their job role and future aspirations. more

Consortia For the Delivery of Public Services: the issues for small and medium-sized charities This new Charity Commission report is essential reading for anyone thinking of joining a consortium. The report includes a number of case studies, with two of the consortia featured operating in South Yorkshire. more

Small Grants for Digital Switchover Events and Activities Voluntary Action Sheffield has been appointed by Digital Outreach to work with the voluntary and community sector during the run-up to the digital TV switchover by providing small grants – minimum £100 or maximum £500 – to enable you to inform people you support about the switchover. This fund is now open to receive applications for funding. more

‘Our Group – Our Time’ Family Support Group for those affected by some-one else’s drinking. Is someone in your family drinking too much? Then why not come along to ‘Our Group- Our Time’, where you can meet other people to share your experiences. We now run TWO groups (over 18’s only) and you are welcome to join us at either, or both, venues. more

Meet & Make Doncaster Women's Centre have partnered with a local women led business "Knit & Stitch" to deliver a six week programme called "Meet & Make". more

Health and Self Help. Doncaster CVS work with groups who are involved in health and social care issues to help them set-up, grow or sustain themselves and to engage with health and social care agencies, get their views heard and take up opportunities to participate in planning and service delivery decisions. more

Opening up public services Modernisation of public services will give people choice and control over the services they use, and end the ‘get what you’re given’ culture. more

The Working Muslim in Ramadan – Employers Guide With the number of Muslims increasing in the UK it is important for employers to know about the month of Ramadan and what it means for Muslims. This note is intended to increase understanding about the month of Ramadan and offer advice on how to be supportive of colleagues among you who are fasting; as well as offering some guidance on dealing with customers during the month of fasting. more

New project at Doncaster YMCA. New project at Doncaster YMCA to help 18-35s into stable accommodation. more

Mencap have launched a brand new national project called Inspire Me. Mencap have launched a brand new national project called Inspire Me which aims to provide free activities, opportunities and training that will give young people aged 16-25 with a learning disability the chance to build their confidence and learn new life skills. more

Coalfields Regeneration Trust – Level 1 Grants of £500 to £5,000 up to 31 March 2013 If you are a not for profit group with a Constitution and Bank Account and operate in one of CRT’s former coalfield areas. more

Regular charity days at Mexborough outdoor market Doncaster Council is offering free stalls for charities at a series of special market days at Mexborough. The charity market days will run throughout the summer and autumn on the first Wednesday of each month. Stalls are being offered in the outdoor market. The first charity day will be 6 July and the last will be 2 November 2011. more

DMBC Contract Opportunity: Doncaster Guardians Invitation to provide a quotation to take forward the newly developed Guardians Model whereby older people can become the Guardians of Doncaster’s Standards for Housing in an Ageing population. more

Volunteer Sports Leaders needed for Summer Activities D.M.B.C. are running a number of activities for young people during the Summer Holidays and are looking for Volunteer sports leaders to help out. more

Downsizing? RAIN has affordable office space available for rent. more

Good News Doncaster CVS Social Enterprise Development Team are this week celebrating exciting news in that they have secured 2 Success Doncaster contracts to deliver over the next 9 months. The team will continue to offer advice and support to local Social Entrepreneurs or Groups as they have done successfully for previous contracts over the past 5 years on how to establish and/or operate a sustainable Social Enterprise. more

Doncaster Life have a NOBO 8 Panel Display Unit for sale. NOBO 8 Panel Display Unit for sale. more

TENDER OPPORTUNITY SYCIL has been awarded money from the transition fund to help it develop a social enterprise arm. As part of this process SYCIL has an opportunity for an independent consultant to work on the development of one of the services - Personal Assistance Plus ~ Your Choice. more

Volunteer Befriending Service Tender Opportunity Doncaster Borough Council, Adults and Communities wishes to commission a Volunteer Befriending Service for the whole of the Doncaster area. more

DIAL Doncaster New services available from DIAL Doncaster. more

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have a new Service Plan for 2011-13. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have a new Service Plan for 2011-13. It outlines how they plan to continue to provide vital services to the public of South Yorkshire through the challenging times ahead. more

Gypsy and Traveller Voice project to run for a further three years with support from the Tudor Trust. Doncaster CVS is pleased to inform you that its Gypsy and Traveller Voice project that supports the local Gypsy and Traveller communities is to run for a further three years thanks to funding support from the Tudor Trust. more

New Health and Social Care Forum Voluntary organisations are working together in a new forum to help ensure that the sector is engaged in the significant changes currently taking place in the field of health and social care. more

Are you interested in the personalisation agenda? The Doncaster Personalisation Forum continues to provide an opportunity for voluntary organisations to work together on the personalisation agenda. If you are interested in developing the capacity of your organisation to deliver personalised services, or engaging with DMBC and the PCT on this agenda then get in touch. more

Fresh Start for Doncaster REC. From 1st June 2011, Doncaster REC will be making a fresh start from a new base at 57 Chapel Street, Bentley, Doncaster DN5 0DE. more

Are you aged 18 to 25 ? Aded 18 to 25 ? - Looking for private rented accommodation in Doncaster ? - In need of some support with finding a home you can call your own ? more

Could your organisation use 10 Volunteers for a day on the 11th July? Marks and Spencer in Doncaster is seeking an opportunity for its management team to be involved in volunteering activities for one day on the 11th July. They would like to volunteer within a local voluntary and community organisation. The team is made up of 10 people who are happy to do physical activity but would like to see that they have made a difference by the end of the day. more

Doncaster Adult Social Care Workforce Forum Doncaster Council would like to invite anyone within the Doncaster area who provides social care support to adults whether paid or unpaid to the above event. The next forum will take place on 16th June 2011, from 14:00hr – 16:30hr at the Carr House Centre, Danum Road, Doncaster. DN4 5HF. more

Lord Wei stands down Lord Wei has announced he will stand down as the Government’s Adviser on Big Society. more

Have Your Say Each quarter, Doncaster Chamber undertakes economic research in order to inform their policy recommendations. Results of the fieldwork are often referenced by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, the body that sets interest rates in the UK. Have your voice heard by key decision makers, by answering a few short questions here. more

Mayor announces new Cabinet At the first Full Council of the year (20 May 2011), the Mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, announced his new Cabinet. more

Giving White Paper – making it easier to take part in a bigger, stronger society Giving White Paper – making it easier to take part in a bigger, stronger society 23 May 2011 The Government has unveiled new Big Society plans to make it easier and more attractive to give time and money to good causes. more

Doncaster Council Family Website A Directory of information, help and guidance for parents and carers is now available at the touch of a button. more

Doncaster Cultural Strategy Consultation 16 May to 17 June 2011 As a key player in Doncaster's cultural sector, you are invited to have your say on Doncaster Cultural Strategy for 2011-14. Your comments are extremely important to us in ensuring that the future of culture reflects the range of opportunities and needs that are relevant to local communities, businesses, stakeholders and partners. The consultation runs for a five-week period between 16 May and 17 June 2011 and asks how you think we can improve our vision for Culture. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council has developed this Cultural Strategy to focus the new direction, drive, and investment into culture within Doncaster and the Borough. more

Big Society Bank gets green light Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude has today endorsed outline proposals for the development of a Big Society Bank presented by the Independent Advisers, Sir Ronald Cohen and Nick O’Donohoe. more

Digital Switchover in the Yorkshire Region Doncaster CVS is currently offering groups an opportunity to receive first hand information about the Digital Switchover which will take place in Yorkshire in August and September 2011. CVS will come and talk to your group to ensure you have accurate and factual information and are aware of other sources of support. more

Doncaster Free Press Environment Awards Do you know someone who is wild about recycling, a whizz at cutting pollution or a winner when it comes to energy saving? If so then why not enter the very first Environment Awards. There are 10 categories to choose from. more

Fostering Fortnight – it’s time to care! To raise awareness amongst the people of Doncaster of the need for Doncaster Council to recruit more foster carers. To encourage all readers to consider fostering and spread the word amongst family and friends. more

TUPE Legal Advice Sessions for Community & Voluntary Groups - Thursday 12th May and Thursday 19th May 2011!! Doncaster CVS is pleased to announce specialist advice in the complex area of TUPE for any organisations affected in the current climate workign in partnership with Jane Waring of Waring Associates LLP. more

Have your say on Doncaster’s draft Work and Skills Plan! Doncaster’s Work and Skills Plan will drive improvements in two of Doncaster’s main economic weaknesses – high levels of worklessness and low skills. The draft plan is nearing completion and now is your chance to comment. To have your say, please contact Helen Rusholme on 01302 734543 or helen.rusholme@doncaster.gov.uk by 20th May. more

Doncaster Central Learning Centre Design Competition. Design Competition. The winner will receive a Meadowhall shopping voucher worth £70. We are looking for a character/characters that can be adapted to use as a digital friend to assist clients to navigate the website. more

Television opportunity for volunteer projects working in the field of inner city restoration. If your organisation is involved in a volunteer project working in the field of inner city restoration here is an opportunity to be featured live (not pre-recorded) on ITV’s Daybreak breakfast programme on one day during w/c 23rd May between 7 – 9am. more

April at Doncaster Little Theatre A packed programme of entertainment throughout the month, including our Easter family show, Fantastic Mr Fox, Comedy Club, Educating Rita and much more. Check out what’s on and buy your tickets online at www.doncasterlittletheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01302 340422. more

National Minimum Data Set – Social Care (NMDS – SC); are you engaged The NMDS-SC is the national database, developed by Skills for Care, to pull together a clear and accurate picture of the adult social care workforce across England. Doncaster Council wants to encourage adult care providers to register, but firstly needs to establish who is/is not already engaged. more

Budget result for volunteer drivers All drivers who use their vehicle for work or volunteering will now be able to claim 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles, an increase from the current rate of 40p. In addition, an allowance of 5p per passenger per mile that is already available to business drivers will be extended to volunteers more

Staff and Service Changes at Doncaster CVS As with many voluntary organisations, the current financial climate has meant that from 1st April there have been some staffing and service changes at Doncaster CVS. more

Changes to the Doncaster Together Structure The Doncaster Together Board recently considered a review of its partnership structure and made a number of decisions about the existing boards. more

CRB Fees To Increase for Paid Staff CRB Checks for volunteers will continue to be free of charge. However, as a result of recent Government changes, the cost of an Enhanced CRB check will increase by £8 from 6 April 2011. more

Future of local public audit: Consultation In August the government announced plans to disband the Audit Commission, and refocus audit of local public bodies on helping local people hold those bodies to account for local spending decisions. This consultation sets out proposals on the new audit framework. more

Children's garden design competition Open Minds Counselling Service Ltd. are holding a competition for children to design a garden and a mural for the back garden at Haywake House. more

Doncaster and District Italian Society The Doncaster and District Italian Society will be hosting a talk by Sheffield-born historian and author, Mark Thompson on Friday 8th April at 7.30pm. more

Relate Business Solutions – Workforce training for professionals Relate’s training division “Business Solutions”, delivers workforce training, online & telephone solutions to individuals, professionals & businesses. Building upon 70+ years of relationship expertise and 20+ year’s experience as a training provider, Relate Business Solutions offer specialist workplace relationship training solutions to the corporate, public & voluntary sector nationwide. more

Doncaster Council Children's Services Newsletter The March edition of the Doncaster Council Children and Young People's Service newsletter is available to download from the Doncaster CVS website. more

Budget Round-Up: Voluntary Sector The budget this week included changes to inheritance tax to encourage legacy donations and amendments to Gift Aid. more

Alzheimer's Society: The Big Collection Please sign up now and be one of 10,000 volunteers supporting The BIG collection on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May 2011 and help build a better future for people living with dementia. Come and help or pop some pennies in the box. more

The Solopreneur Programme The Solopreneur Programme has created 3 affordable marketing seminars being held in Doncaster for anyone who has been made redundant and would like to either continue with their own business as a coach or trainer or may have an idea and would be interested in starting up on their own - this can be from any walk of life so long as the person has knowledge and passion about a subject. more

Barnardo’s Young Carers Service, Doncaster Barnardo’s Young Carers Service supports children and young people under the age of 18 who help care for a family member with an illness or a difficulty. Our aim is to reduce any negative impact of the caring role on children and young people and build on the positive strengths within families, increasing resilience. more

Employment Adviser Service Feeling Stressed? Depressed? Anxious? Struggling to Cope at work? This FREE service provides support for anyone who is experiencing issues relating to their employment. more

New Enterprise Zone for Region The Budget announced that the Government would create 21 new Enterprise Zones, within local enterprise partnerships, with simplified planning rules, super-fast broadband and tax breaks for businesses. Sheffield City Region, which includes Doncaster, is one of the vanguard Enterprise Zones. more

Doncaster publishes it’s Planning Vision for the Future Doncaster Council has published its Core Strategy, which is part of its Local Development Framework and sets out Doncaster's planning vision for the future. Final comments are required by 3rd May 2011. more

Could You Run to Support the NSPCC Take part in the May Day 10k run on Sunday 2 May 2011 and raise sponsorship for the NSPCC to answer more calls for help from vulnerable children. more

Animation First for Roald Dahl Classic Doncaster Little Theatre is working with a talented young animator and film maker, to bring a new dimension to its Easter Show, Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox. more

FREE Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Toolkits Do you know how to manage stress in the workplace? Did you know that this is a health and safety requirement? The Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Toolkit can help…The Toolkit provides support materials for managers, including information and guidance, template documents, web-links and signposting. more

Free Training & Support for Third Sector organisations in workplace mental well-being Free stress awareness/management, Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health Awareness, Job Retention, and others. Access to our Workplace Health Champion development programme and regular network meetings. We can assist you to establish your needs and work towards an organisational improvement plan, and our forthcoming workplace health award scheme. more

Free Stress Awareness Workshops FREE In-house Stress Awareness Workshops for you and your staff more

Councils Oppose Dearne Valley Free School Three South Yorkshire local authorities have joined forces to formally oppose plans for a Free School in the Dearne Valley due to the negative impact the development would have on existing schools. more

Doncaster CVS Launches Phase 2 of Research Project Doncaster CVS has launched phase 2 of its research project funded by South Yorkshire Community Foundation to map the size and scope of the VCS in Doncaster. more

SY HR Services Survey South Yorkshire HR Services is open to all community and voluntary groups across South Yorkshire to provide quality, timely and responsive HR advice and support. The project is running a customer survey to ensure that it is providing the services needed by local organisations. more

Get Fit in LIFE As you may be aware LIFE’s activity courses organised as part of the enhanced Public Health Programme will finish at the end of march 2011. To sustain activities and offer important heath and community outcomes LIFE will continue classes at Intake Healthy Living Centre on Sandringham Rd, Doncaster, DN2 5LS. more

Dave Pulls for Comic Relief On Friday 18th March 2011, Dave Roberts, an employee at North Doncaster Development Trust (NDDT), will be flexing his muscles by taking part in a sponsored Minibus Pull to raise cash for Comic Relief 2011. more

Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund The Department of Health’s Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF) will be launching its second local grant scheme in spring 2011. The local grant scheme 2010 funded 43 projects across England. more

Bassetlaw and Doncaster Clinical Services Review: Mexborough Montagu Hospital Invite to attend pre-consultation engagement meeting as part of the Bassetlaw and Doncaster Clinical Services Review – Specifically looking at the Mexborough Montagu Hospital elements of the Review. more

Laughter Leads the Way – Little Theatre Comedy Club Following the success of our February Comedy Club, The Little Theatre, in association with Abbcom Comedy, has decided to make nights of laughter a regular thing in the centre of Doncaster with the launch of a monthly comedy club. more

Little Theatre seeks Big Talent! Doncaster Little Theatre is looking for actors to fill roles in a number of its upcoming productions, and is holding Open Auditions for male and female actors aged 18 and over. more

Free Digital Switchover Briefing Sessions The Digital Switchover is coming and some of the people you support may be worried about the switch to digital TV. Our free sessions will help you to help others, and help us spread the Digital Switchover message. more

Office Furniture Give-away South Yorkshire ChangeUp Consortium are giving various items of office furniture and equipment away free to VCS organisations. An opportunity not to be missed! Call in and have a look... more

Green Gables Floating Support Service Green Gables' new floating support service offers assistance to parents, carers and pregnant women who need help with their tenancy, parenting, access to education or training, finance issues or other support. more

Could You Volunteer With Doncaster Disability Cluster? Doncaster Disability Cluster is currently recruiting a treasurer and secretary to join their fantastic team, all working together to improve the quality of life for local disabled people. more

National Citizen Service An opportunity has arisen for Doncaster young people in school year 11 (Aged 15 & 16) to take part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) initiative. There are only 45 places for young people in this area based on a first come first served basis. more

New Council Corporate Plan The Mayor and Cabinet has agreed the a new Corporate Plan for Doncaster Council, which will be considered by Full Council on 9th March. The Council intends to review its links with Voluntary & Community Sector organisations. A key objective will be a "re-stated basis of relationship between public sector and VCS". more

Children's Services Newsletters The February editions of the newsletters from Doncaster Council Children's Services and Doncaster Safeguarding Children Board are available to view on the CVS website. more

WREN Funding - Available During the last year or so, WREN has seen a downturn in applications for grants, despite the fact that funding is still available to distribute to Councils and Community Groups. Funding is available to most communities in Doncaster more

Charity Commission launches consultation on amateur sport The Charity Commission has launched a public consultation on the advancement of amateur sport as a charitable aim. One of the key questions asked in the consultation is what may be needed to show that regularly playing games of mental skill or exertion promotes health. more

New Indices of Deprivation to be Published The government has announced the Department for Communities and Local Government will publish an updated version of the Indices of Deprivation in March 2011. more

Eric Pickles calls for Councils to open meetings to new media Councils should open up their public meetings to local news 'bloggers' and routinely allow online filming of public discussions as part of increasing their transparency, Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has said. more

Spread the word about the Digital Switchover Help Scheme and earn £500 for your organisation! Would your organisation like to earn £500 this summer? Rural Action Yorkshire is urgently looking for partner organisations in the districts of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham who are able to reach out into communities and find those hard to reach people who may miss out on the Digital message. more

Irish Night Supports Local Junior Football Club The McRoibin Irish Dancers and a Pie and Peas supper will warm your cockles and get your feet tapping, and proceeds will be shared between the Dancers and the Warmsworth Lions Under 15s Football Team. more

Steps to inclusion - First steps for inclusion in your club FREE training The Steps to Inclusion Inspire mark programme offers sessions to clubs, community groups, organisations and individual coaches who are looking to make their sports sessions more inclusive for disabled people. more

New Training Prospectus from Edlington Hill Top Centre The latest Hill Top Centre prospectus contains details of all the courses the centre currently has on offer. more

New Permanent Head of Service for Children’s Assessment Doncaster Council's delivery of services to children and young people is set for further support following the permanent appointment of Tracey Newcomb as Head of the Children’s Assessment Service (CAS). more

Government names new partner to deliver Community Organisers The government has announced the selected partner who will deliver and train up to 5,000 Community Organisers. more

Consultation on the draft Doncaster Children & Young People's Plan for 2011-16 Following 8 months of consultation and engagement, Doncaster Children's Trust has developed a Draft Doncaster Children and Young People's Plan 2011-2016. The document is 4 pages long and comments are invited by 7th March 2011. more

DIAL Doncaster Achieves the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard DIAL Doncaster has recently achieved the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard, recognising the excellent work they do with volunteers. more

Doncaster Little Theatre in the Community Doncaster Little Theatre is taking its production of Abigail's Party out to communities across Doncaster as part of its Big Lottery funded Community Development Programme. more

Government opens up contracts to small business and charities A package of measures to open up the way that Government does business and to make sure that small companies, charities and voluntary organisations are in the best possible position to compete for billions of pounds worth of contracts has been outlined by the Prime Minister. more

Opening up Parliament to the people The Coalition Government has launched the first stage of plans to give members of the public the right to comment on every aspect of new legislation. more

2011 Census Gets Gloser The 2011 Census takes place on 27th March. In preparation the Doncaster Census team now has its Co-ordinators in place preparing for Census Day and the task of getting all of the completed forms back. Some people will need help with filling their form in and community groups may want to arrange Completion Sessions. more

Free Workshop on Personalisation Do you care for someone? Do you work with carers? Then come along to a Free Workshop all about ‘PERSONALISATION’ to be held in Rotherham on Friday 4th March. more

It's All About Confidence After recently securing funding through the New Horizons project with DMBC and the Primary Care Trust, Identities will be offering individuals facing mental health problems the chance the build confidence, self-worth and learn new communication skills. more

Inspiration Day in Celebration of International Women's Day Identities will be hosting an Inspiration Day in celebration of International Women’s Day on the 8th March at the Campanile Hotel, Doncaster Leisure Park, 10.00 – 3.00pm and we want you to be involved. more

Have Your Say About Community Woodlands The Land Trust and the Forestry Commission are running a public consultation about the management of the 6 South Yorkshire Community Woodlands. more

Holmescarr Ark and Crafts Half Term Activity Holmescarr Ark and Crafts are running a Craft for Kids Half-Term Programme at Holmescarr Community Enterprise Centre. more

Fire Authority’s social media pilot for budget meeting South Yorkshire Fire Authority will be the first in the country to pilot a new online social media service. Members of the public will be able to view and comment on the Authority’s crucial budget meeting at 10am on Monday (February 21), through social media including Twitter and Facebook. more

M25 Housing and Support Group brings Nightstop to Doncaster The M25 Housing and Support Group are very pleased to announce that they have recently been granted funding from Doncaster Supporting People to establish Nightstop within the Doncaster Region. more

We are looking for carers to take part in a new creative project darts (Doncaster Community Arts) invites parents who care for a child with a disability to a series of free, stimulating and fun creative workshops. Sessions will run at The Point to find out more about the challenges parent carers face when thinking about, looking for, finding and sustaining employment. more

Funding Secured to Support Crisis Intervention Service for Homeless Young People Doncaster Housing for Young People is delighted to announce that they have been awarded £10,000 by the John William Chapman Earlesmere Trust to help fund its Outreach Service. more

Criminal checks on people working with children scaled back More than nine million people working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults will no longer need to register and be monitored by the state. more

BT Community Web Kit BT is offering a free service which includes an easy easy-to-build web site, website hosting and website addresses to help promote your charity or community group. more

Rural Empowerment Community Seminars The Plunkett Foundation is hosting two FREE seminars with guest speakers and presentations, illustrating how rural communities can establish and operate a range of facilities and enterprises, including shops, to support their locality. more

Cancer Awareness Initiative NHS Doncaster is drawing attention to the issue of cancer and educating people about early signs and symptoms. From Feb-April, campaigns will focus on breast, lung and bowel cancers. Groups are encouraged to request a speaker to come along to talk to their members in a straightforward and non-clinical way. more

Could you deliver short breaks for children/young people with a Disability in Doncaster? Independent Local Solutions CiC Ltd (a voluntary/community sector Social Enterprise) is putting together a collaborative bid to deliver short breaks for disabled children/young people in Doncaster, and would like to hear from anyone who could supply such activities, particularly (but not exclusively) for those with Asperger Syndrome and/or moderate or severe autism. more

New Website for Victims of Domestic Abuse A new website for victims of domestic abuse in Doncaster has been created by the Doncaster Domestic Abuse Service, which involves a number of local charities. more

Who would have thought volunteering with St John Ambulance would be like this? Volunteering can have it's fun side, St John Ambulance are recruiting volunteers for their new units at the Keepmoat Stadium and Doncaster Racecourse. Once in a while the same old volunteer activity becomes unexpectedly something quite special! more

National Personal Budgets Survey In order to find out how well personal budgets are working in practice national charity In Control has launched the National Personal Budgets Survey. more

Community Profiles These community profiles provide a wide range of interesting and valuable data about every community in Doncaster. They are particularly useful for groups and organisations that require an evidence base for funding bids or strategy documents. more

Proposals to introduce a Community Right to Challenge: Consultation paper This document sets out the provisions being made by Government in the Localism Bill to introduce a Community Right to Challenge. more

Community Right to Buy - assets of community value: Consultation paper This document sets out the provisions being made by Government in the Localism Bill to assist community organisations who wish to purchase assets of community value. more

The Role of Small Community Groups in the Big Society New research from the Third Sector Research Centre has studied the crucial role that the estimated 600,000 or more small community groups can play in delivering the 'big society'. The team found that, if community groups are to be involved in delivering 'big society', policies to engage people in community action need to be informed by a more sophisticated understanding of how and why community organisations operate. more

Crime on your street revealed From this week, a quick post code search on a new website allows you to find out what crime or anti-social behaviour has happened in your local area. more

Council Spending Data Published Doncaster Council has published details of its payments to suppliers following the Government's call for all Councils to publish their spending data over £500 online. more

Community Building – Develop your Skills and Confidence to Make a Difference in Your Community This free interactive course will take place over 6 x 3 hour sessions during February-March 2011. more

New Premises for Doncaster Refurnish Local social enterprise Doncaster Refurnish is opening new premises in the Waterdale Centre. more

Not Just Us The Lorna Young Foundation’s Not Just Us Programme and Platform 51 Doncaster Women’s Centre have joined together to set up a truly exciting youth enterprise. The aim of the Not Just Us Programme is to develop ethical enterprises with young people in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. more

Get Started with Football Get Started with The Prince’s Trust is a project for unemployed young people aged 16-25. more

Doncaster Council’s Draft Budget Published The Mayor’s budget proposals for Doncaster Council, which needs to identify £71m of savings in the next 4 years, are to be discussed by the Cabinet next week. The full budget report is now available to download. more